Refinishing Bathtub

I know this is a bit unrelated to the forum but I can't seem to find the proper one. Has anyone had experience with having a bathtub refinished or reglazed? I have a 1950's tub that has very little finish left on it. I have heard rave reviews (mostly from franchises) and horror stories from customers from these same franchises. Can anyone recommend a company or advise which company to avoid in the St. Petersburg, Fla. area?

Unfortunately, there is no way to replace the tub. The house is over 50 years old and it almost looks like the entire building was built around the bathroom.

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You're partly correct: The cast iron tubs were almost always brought onto the building site and set in place soon after framing was done.

They are almost always removed using sledge hammers so they go out in pieces and shards.

I have a good friend who had a ball and claw bathtub 'reglazed', and inasmuch as it looks okay, I know that they'll never hold up to long term use. It's in an extra bathroom in an old section of the house so it was important in terms of appearance.

If you don't have high expectations, you won't be let down, but it's going to be akin to taking your old beat up car to Earl Scheib: If the 'tech' preps correctly, cleans the old surface well and is good with masking paper and tape, it'll be impressive compared to what it was, but don't look too closely..........

Ive refinishied a few, I dont recommend it on a high use tub. ive used Sherwin Williams products and they were satisfactory. ive heard great things about Napco, http://www.napcoltd.com/ if Im faced with refinishing another Ill use their products.
Do Not brush this on, it has to be sprayed to get a decent finish, its very nasty stuff so you need a respirator at least, a full face would be better with a fresh air source, plan on vacating the house the day its sprayed.

I had an old claw-foot tub, and it took me a bit of work- but I purchased a refinishing kit from my local Home Depot and I just took the time and refinished it myself. The bathroom was out of commission for more than a week, but in the end, it turned out great! I never had any problems with it after and it seemed like new until I moved out of the house a year a half later. Its not a professional job, but it was cheaper and not terribly difficult and in my unprofessional opinion, looked and worked great. Hope that that helps. I understand what you mean about not being able to replace the tub- mine was practically built into the house as well!! If you do not have a claw foot and just a standard tub you could have someone like, Bath Fitters come in and place a new mold over the top of your existing tub. Just a thought...

I felt compelled to jump in here, since I do this for a living. While some folks have been unhappy with tub refinishing, I've found that most of them did it "on the cheap". Very few people can get good results with a Home Depot kit. The materials are nothing like what I use. And there are some guys who learned how to do a quick, cheap process by working in maintenance for an apartment complex, which is not designed to last. And I've even seen some done by a "handyman" that was just a few coats of enamel paint.

Believe me, I have stripped and re-done all sorts of these inferior jobs. If a tub is refinished by an experienced professional with quality primer and topcoat, and thorough preparation, it can look fantastic, and provide many years of service. Will it be like new? No. I always give my customers realistic expectations. This is an affordable alternative to replacement. I charge around $350 to refinish a tub, and it takes 5 to 6 hours. Having a contractor rip out your tub and surrounding tile, and having the tile and plumbing replaced can run between $1500 - $3000 and can take a week or more. Can you expect the same results by spending $350 as you would by spending $1500 or more? Of course not. But a professionally done tub should last 8 - 10 years on average, and some have been known to last as long as 20 years. And if it starts to peel it can always be stripped and refinished again.

Bottom line is I can restore a tub in one day for a fraction of the cost and time as replacement.